Metropolitan Cornelius (russian: Митрополит Корнилий, et, Metropoliit Kornelius or secular name Vjatšeslav Vassiljevitš Jakobs, or Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Yakobs, russian: Вячеслав Васильевич Якобс; 19 June 1924, Tallinn – 19 April 2018, Tallinn) was an Estonian

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

and All

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

, the head of the

Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC-MP; et, Moskva Patriarhaadi Eesti Õigeusu Kirik; russian: Эстонская православная церковь Московского патриархата) is a semi-autonom ...

Early life

Cornelius was born on 19 June 1924 in

into the family of a

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

colonel. After the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

in 1917, the family had emigrated to

. In 1943, he finished school and served as a psalm reader in the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Tallinn. On 19 August 1945, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

by Archbishop

Paul (Dmitrovsky) Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

, and later, on 8 February 1948, he was ordained a priest by bishop Isidore (Bogoyavlensky). He was appointed rector of St Mary Magdalene Church in

Haapsalu Haapsalu () is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Lääne County, and on 1 January 2020 it had a population of 9,375. Description Haapsalu has been well known for centuries for its ...

. In 1951 he graduated from the

Leningrad Theological Seminary The Saint Petersburg Theological Academy (russian: Санкт-Петербургская духовная академия) is a theological seminary in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The academy grants master and doctorate degrees preparing theologi ...

(by correspondence). From 1951 to 1957 he belonged to the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

of the

Vologda diocese Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as a major transport hub of ...

Arrest and imprisonment

On 27 February 1957, he was arrested by the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

and charged with "anti-Soviet agitation" (due to his possession of religious books and conversations with believers). On 16 May 1957, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He served his sentence in the political camps of

Mordovia The Republic of Mordovia (russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, r=Respublika Mordoviya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə; mdf, Мордовия Республиксь, ''Mordovija Respublikś''; myv, Мордовия Рес ...

(

Dubravlag The Dubravny Camp, Special Camp No.3 (), commonly known as the Dubravlag (russian: Дубравлаг), was a Gulag labor camp of the Soviet Union located in Yavas, Mordovia from 1948 to 2005. The Dubravlag was founded as one of several Gulag sp ...

). On 12 September 1960, the Supreme Court of Mordovia reduced the sentence to five years, and then by the court's resolution he was released from custody ahead of time and put on probation. (He was rehabilitated on 14 October 1988). In November 1960 he returned to Estonia and became rector of John the Forerunner Church in Tallinn. In 1974 he became a widower. He was subsequently awarded the

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in t ...

and was elected chairman of the parish council.

Later ecclesiastic career

On 20 July 1990 at the first meeting of the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthod ...

, chaired by new elected Patriarch Alexius II, he was appointed

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of Tallinn, vicar to His Holiness the Patriarch. On 21 August 1990, he took

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...

vows in the Monastery of the Dormition at Pechery near Pskov and obtained the name of Cornelius; on 6 September 1990 he was elevated to the rank of

archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") wh ...

. On 15 September 1990, he was ordained a bishop at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Tallinn. The chirotony (laying on of hands) was done by Alexei II with Metropolitan Tikhon (Tajakka) of Helsinki (Finnish Orthodox Church), Bishop Eugene (Zhdan) of Tambov and Michurinsk, Bishop Victor (Pyankov) of Podolsk, and Bishop Leo (Tserpitsky) of Novgorod and Staraya Russa. In 1992 the Holy Synod granted autonomy to the Estonian Orthodox Church and bishop Cornelius became the head of the Estonian church, with the title of Bishop of Tallinn and all Estonia. On 25 February 1995 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. On 6 November 2000, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Tallinn and all Estonia. In 2007 he dismissed local education related protests as "useless" and called on Estonian Orthodox Christians (mostly people of Russian descent) to embrace Estonian culture. He became the oldest bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church and celebrated his 90th birthday in 2014. For the occasion he released an autobiographical book.

Awards and honours

* 1966 - Patriarchal deed * 1971 - Order of St. Vladimir Grand Duke Wladimir III degree * 1986 - Order of St. Sergius III level * 1991 - Order of the Finnish Orthodox Church - comandor sign of Knighthood of the Holy Lamb (Pyhan Karitsan Ritarikunnan Komentajamerkki) * 1996 - Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, II degree * 1999 - Order of St. Sergius II degree; * 2002 - Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, III degree; * 2004 - Order of St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir II degree; * 2007 - Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, II degree * 2009 - Order of the Holy Martyr Isidore of Yuriev I degree (Estonian Orthodox Church) * Order of St. Prince Daniel of Moscow II degree; * 2009 - Order of St. Sergius I degree * 2014 - Order of St. Innocent of Moscow I degree * 2014 - Order of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles I degree

References

External links

Корнилий, митрополит Таллинский и всея Эстонии (Якобс Вячеслав Васильевич)
on Official site of the Russian Orthodox Church
Tallinna ja kogu Eesti metropoliit Kornelius

(Keston News Service, 19 April 2002) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jakobs, Cornelius 1924 births 2018 deaths People from Tallinn Estonian people of Russian descent Russians in Estonia Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Prisoners and detainees of the Soviet Union 20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops 21st-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Eastern Orthodox Christians from Estonia Dubravlag detainees